Craft Beer First, Wine Very Much Second
Peoria Heights · Peoria · Euramerican Gastropub · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Publik House’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The Publik House is a genuinely good gastropub — cozy, casual, the kind of place you're happy to land on a Friday night. The wine list, though, reads like an afterthought stapled to a beer menu that clearly got all the love. Three recognizable names, safe regions, nothing that suggests anyone spent more than twenty minutes curating it.
What we have here is a California cab, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and an Italian Pinot Grigio — three wines that could have been selected by asking Siri for 'popular wines.' Rodney Strong, The Crossings, and FINI are all perfectly drinkable, widely distributed bottles you'd find at any mid-tier grocery store. There's no depth, no regional adventure, no attempt to surprise. The list covers the bases for the wine drinker who just wants something familiar, but it offers nothing for anyone looking to explore.
Pours start at $7, which sounds reasonable until you clock that the Rodney Strong Cab retails for $15 and they're charging $35 for the bottle — a 133% markup that stings. We don't have a confirmed glass count, but based on the bottles listed, you're choosing from a very short bench. Rotation doesn't appear to be a thing here.
The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc — $7/glass
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is reliably crisp and crowd-friendly, and at $7 a glass it's the least painful option on this list. It's the right call if you're here for the food and want something cold and clean.
FINI Pinot Grigio
Nobody orders Pinot Grigio at a gastropub, which is exactly why it might be your move. Light, easy-drinking, and better suited to the flatbreads and lighter pub bites than anything else on the list. Don't overthink it.
Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon
At $35 a bottle, you're paying more than double retail for a $15 grocery store Cab. It's not a bad wine, but the markup is hard to justify when you could buy two bottles at Walmart on the way home.
The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc + Flatbread
The Crossings has enough citrus and herbaceous snap to cut through the richness of a cheesy flatbread without competing with it. It's a simple pairing, but it works — and sometimes that's all you need.
The Bottom Line
The Publik House is a solid spot for a craft beer and a burger — but if wine is your thing, you'll be paying too much for too little. Order the beer.
Peoria Heights · Peoria · New American
Fusion 45 is doing something genuinely ambitious for Peoria — a creative kitchen with Old World wine ambitions is not nothing — but until we can get eyes on the actual list with prices, we're cautiously optimistic rather than fully sold. Worth a visit, worth asking your server what's good to drink.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Peoria · Steakhouse
Bourbon & Bones has put real effort into building a Champagne list that would hold its own in a major city, but outside the bubbles section the list plays it safe and the markups are steep enough to sting. Come here for the occasion, not the exploration.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Peoria · Italian Steakhouse
Johnny's wine list is exactly what it is: a well-curated collection of American crowd-pleasers with markups to match the steakhouse zip code. You won't be wowed, but you won't be stuck either — and 28 glasses by the pour means you have options.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Peoria · Hotel Steakhouse
Oak & Prime is a reliable pour for a classic steakhouse night — safe, familiar, and priced accordingly steep. Don't come hunting for discovery, but know that the bones are solid if you stick to the right bottles.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Peoria · Peoria · Seafood
Red Lobster's wine list does exactly what corporate intended: give guests something recognizable to order without scaring anyone off. If you calibrate expectations accordingly — and let the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling do the heavy lifting — you won't be miserable. But you won't be talking about the wine on the drive home either.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Peoria · Peoria · Steakhouse
LongHorn Peoria is a fine place to eat a steak; it is not a fine place to drink wine. Order a cocktail or a beer, enjoy your ribeye, and save the wine night for somewhere that actually cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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